I awoke from my sleep at 3 AM to hear a child screaming and was walking into the nursery when I saw my husband pulling my daughter back by her hair while she was attempting to reach the crib. He said to her in a sadistic tone, “Let him cry! You will learn your lesson for burning my dinner!” Little did he know that I was already standing in the doorway recording the entire incident on my phone.
The newborn’s wailing echoed throughout my home at 3:07 AM. By the time I got to Mia’s room, I was not filming my son-in-law yet—he had already gotten his hand caught up in Mia’s hair when I stepped into the room. Mia had one arm outstretched, desperately reaching for the crib where her son was howling in agony beneath a shaking mobile. At the same time, her husband, Caleb Voss, stood directly over her. He was grinning down at her with a demented look upon his face that made my blood freeze solid.
“Let him cry,” Caleb said softly, menacingly. “You will learn your lesson for burning my dinner.”
Mia’s throat tightened as she choked back a sob. “Caleb! Please! He’s hungry!”
“He’ll wait.”
I remained in the doorway, barefoot and quiet—all the while keeping my thumb firmly planted on the screen.
Caleb turned around three seconds later and realized I was there.
At that moment, his demeanor altered completely. The monster had vanished, replaced by the polished real-estate prince. He spoke softly and was filled with injured pride.
“Eleanor,” he stated, suddenly releasing Mia so fast that she almost toppled over to the side. “This is not what it appears to be.”
I walked into the nursery, retrieved Noah from the crib, and was reminded once again just how tiny he was as he snuggled up against me.”This is exactly what it looks like.”
Caleb chuckled softly. “You don’t know what marriage is. Mia is going through an emotional phase where she’s very tired; typical of all new mothers.”
Mia had her head down, and she was shaking.